Evil Doers
The Bible talks about evil doers? What do you think of when you hear the word evil? Do you think of ISIS terrorists? Do you think of mass murderers or serial rapists? Do you think of abortionists – doctors who kill little babies in the womb for the almighty dollar? When you hear “evil doers,” what do you think of?
How bad do you have to be for the rest of society to consider you an evil doer? We can agree that Hitler and Stalin were evil doers. They both killed millions of people. What about the killer who murders one person? Is killing one person enough to make you an evil doer? How bad does a bad person have to be to be considered an evil doer?
I want to read a few more verses than the main verse tonight, but please listen to 1 Peter 4:12-18: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
Time For Judgment
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
Look at this list that the apostle Peter names: murderer, thief, evil doer or busybody. Please notice that murder and being a busybody are both listed together with an evil doer. How evil do you have to be? Just evil enough to be a busybody; a person who sticks their nose where it doesn’t belong. Have you ever done that? I have and I’d dare say that all of us have butted in where we didn’t belong. We are all guilty of being evil doers.
Listen to what the Bible says about evil doers: A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue (Proverbs 17:4). Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers (Job 8:20). Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward (Isaiah 1:4).
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch (Malachi 4:1). The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth (Psalm 34:16). Psalm 7:11 states: God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
Jesus said in Luke 13:26-28a: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
God Hates Sin
The point of reading all of these verses is to show you that God hates sin. He hates all workers of iniquity (Psalm 5:5). On Judgment Day, Jesus is going to tell some people: I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:23). God takes sin very seriously and you don’t have to be a mass murderer to be an evil doer.
One little white lie is enough to separate you from the love of God for all of eternity and cause you to suffer in the flames of the lake of fire. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).
I’ve been street witnessing for seven years and when I ask someone if they are a good person, 99 out of 100 tell me that they are good. Most people profess themselves to be good because they do what they do because they think that is right. I even had a guy one time who told me that he was a good person and he’d just gotten out of prison a week or two earlier! I asked him how he could consider himself to be good when he just got out of prison. He told me that he was good because he only stole in order to provide for his family.
Most People Say They Are Good
Most people, even outright criminals consider themselves to be good. But the problem is, we are not good. None of us! Not me and not you. We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). You may think, well what does it matter? If we have all sinned against God, we are all in the same boat, so it really shouldn’t matter. Oh, but it does matter and it matters greatly because the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).
We’ve all sinned against God and since He is Holy, righteous and just, He does punish sin. All that you are working for on your own in this life is death. And not just physical death; but the second death which is never ending. People who die in their sins and go to Hell, don’t just burn to a crisp and that’s it. No, they suffer forever.
Jesus described Hell as a place where the worm dies not and the fire is never quenched. The Bible says that the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. They have no rest day or night. Folks this is serious. Each and every one of us has sinned against God and He does punish sin. You can never undo your sin. The punishment for all unrepentant sinners is everlasting torment.
Good News
But the Good News is that you don’t have suffer God’s wrath over your sins forever. You can be forgiven. Your sin debt can be wiped out. You can be made right or righteous to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus suffered, bled and died on the cross for guilty sinners like you and me. He took God’s wrath over our sins that we deserve. He never sinned one time, but he suffered and died as though He were guilty. The Just One died for the unjust. He didn’t do the crime, but He paid the sin debt on our behalf.
But you must receive salvation. You have to repent and believe the Gospel. You see, Jesus didn’t stay dead. He rose from the grave three days after he was buried. Jesus is the victor. He is the risen Savior. He defeated sin, death, Hell and Satan. He now sits at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. He suffered, bled and died and rose from the grave to save His people from their sins. You can only be one of His people through repentance and faith. We are to have repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).
Is God convicting you over your sins tonight? Are you willing to confess and forsake your sins? Are you ready to submit to King Jesus? Are you willing to bow your knee and confess with your tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord? Are you ready to turn from your sins and turn to Jesus? Are you willing to surrender your life to Jesus Christ?
Repent!
Make no mistake, God commands all of us to repent. Repentance is a gift from God. Without repentance, there is no salvation. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:3). But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance (Acts 26:20).
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). God calls each and every one of us to repent. If God is convicting you over your sins tonight, don’t continue fighting against God. Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Salvation is of The Lord
Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Did you catch that verse? God is not wiling for you to perish, for you to die in your sins. But if you continue rejecting Jesus Christ, you will die in your sins and you will suffer God’s wrath over your sins for all of eternity.
Don’t foolishly die in your sins and go to Hell. Come to Jesus. Come to the risen Lord. Come to the only Savior. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Surrender your life to the one and only Savior. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Your sins can be forgiven tonight. Not because of any goodness in you and not because of me; but through Jesus Christ alone. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Salvation is a gift from God, but you must receive the gift.
Come to Jesus. Confess and forsake your sins. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. Only trust Him, only trust Him now. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Be saved tonight. Repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ.
(This message was lifted up on the square in downtown Springfield, MO on July 29, 2016)